In certain situations where parties wish to establish a communications link and to share digital information which they hold, there may be an incompatibility in the way in which the digital information and any labels for that information is expressed by each party. For example, two parties may each have a different title for the same item of information, with the net result that the equivalence of that piece of information is not recognised by the respective computer systems of those parties. This means that the parties cannot simply share the information in a straightforward manner as they would wish, for example by connecting their respective computer systems and allowing information to flow freely across the link.
Further problems can arise where parties wish to establish a link, for example, a communications link, wherein establishing that link involves ensuring not only that the same labels are used for each party's information, but also that the constraints on each party's system are compatible. For example, in the case of a communications link, a first party may be able to process lines of information which are 50 characters long, whereas a second party which desires to form a link with the first party may only be able to process lines of information which are 20 characters long. Furthermore, the second party may be able to process information represented in alphanumeric characters, whereas the first party may only be able to process information represented by integer numbers. Clearly, if the two parties are to be able to understand the information conveyed over a mutual communications link, they will need to identify their constraints to the other party e.g. they must inform the other party of the amount and type of information which they are able to process. In this example, for instance, after disclosing their constraints to each other, the parties may agree that they will only send information to each other in lines of no more than 20 integers.
Another exemplary situation wherein parties wish to establish a link would be in the case of three companies, A, B and C, who have decided that they will collaborate to manufacture a new product, namely a new type of sports car. Company A manufactures chassis and drivetrains, but by reason of the size of their factory, has the manufacturing constraint that it is only able to manufacture chassis of a length suitable for supporting car bodies between 1.5 and 2.5 metres long. Company B manufactures fibreglass car bodies governed by the manufacturing constraint that the bodies cannot be longer than 2 metres if they are to fit in Company B's car-body mould. Regardless of their length, however, the bodies produced by B have wheel arches sized to fit wheels up to 20 inches in diameter. Company C manufactures wheel axes with fitted alloy wheels and tires, which are constrained to be between 13 and 18 inches in diameter.
Having decided to make the vehicle, companies A, B and C first need to ensure that the terms by which they refer to their manufacturing product are understood and used commonly by all in their interaction. For example, the companies need to establish between themselves that by “drivetrain” Company A means an engine, gearbox and propshaft so that all parts are identified by all companies.
Then, the parties need to reveal their constraints to each other. As a result of revealing their constraints, Companies A and B agree that they will only produce cars of length 1.5 to 2 metres. Although Company C does have a manufacturing constraint, this does not affect companies A and B, and so Company C is free to manufacture wheels of the diameter of their choosing. With hindsight, Company C did not in fact need to disclose its constraints to A and B, and similarly A and B did not need to disclose their constraints to C as C is unaffected by them.
In certain situations, making disclosures of constraints to other parties may be undesirable where that information may be secret. For instance, in the example given above, a subsidiary of Company A may be considering manufacturing wheels. In the course of the disclosures made in establishing the manufacturing link between companies A, B and C, Company A has learnt that C can only produce wheels up to 18 inches in diameter, and can pass this information onto its subsidiary. The subsidiary can then conduct market research to see if there is a demand for wheels over 18 inches in diameter, and if it discovers that there is such a demand, will be able to enter the market without competition from C, thus exploiting C's inability to manufacture corresponding products.
Hence, information about processes can be commercially sensitive and parties would rather only disclose the minimum necessary, particularly at early stages in a potential link with another party.
Clearly another area of application of the present invention is in business to business (BTB) relationships where each company has its own systems for storing and processing information relevant to its business. Two or more companies may wish to collaborate on a project in which it would be useful to share information and resources between the companies, but for the various reasons described above various problems may be encountered in establishing the relationship.
In the past, attempts have been made to mitigate the problem by revealing all potentially relevant information and constraints etc. under mutually-signed Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), and then together determining if the constraints of the parties involved are compatible. This results in more information than necessary being revealed.
Another approach would be for the parties to identify a mutually-trusted third party and for all disclosures to be made to that third party, who would then be able to highlight conflicting areas. The problems with this approach, however, include the difficulty of identifying a mutually trusted third party and the associated costs and time delay in locating, hiring and briefing a suitable third party.